As leaders of volunteer engagement we want to share the impact volunteers have in our organization and in the community, but often the information we track doesn’t help us tell that story - The real story of volunteer engagement is so much more than the number of volunteers and hours served. In this workshop Jennifer will discuss gathering the right information to inform your story and the key components to good storytelling. She'll also share how to build support and buy-in for the work volunteers do through compelling storytelling, and how to engage other staff – paid and volunteer – in this work. During this workshop participants will be asked to explore how they tell the story of volunteer impact in their organization now, and through facilitated group discussion and brainstorming create a story that more accurately shares the work that volunteers do, identify what information could quantify or qualify the impact of that work, and leave with a worksheet and resources to begin telling and sharing that story.

1. Page
Jennifer Bennett, CVA
Senior Manager, Education & Training
VolunteerMatch
jbennett@volunteermatch
@JenBennettCVA
NOVAA
May 14th, 2015

2. Welcome!
Take a few minutes and write any questions you hope I’ll
answer or any goals you have for today’s training on the
post-it notes.
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3. 3
What story are you telling now?

4. 4
What story are you telling now?
What kind of information are you sharing about
volunteer engagement now?
• Numbers
– Hours, people, trees planted, etc.
• Are you including an answer to the question
Why?
• Does the story tie back to your mission?

5. What’s your story?
CASA Guardian Ad Litem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc9Ew6uHddY
– Some quantitative information, but mostly answering the
question why?
– Outlining and illustrating the impact
Even if you don’t have cute kids (or puppies) there
can still be an emotional connection to the work
your organization does.
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6. What kind of information is out there?
• Quantitative – can be measured or counted with
numbers
– Hours given, trees planted, meals served
• Qualitative – descriptive, can be observed but
not counted or measured
– Compassionate, friendly, outgoing, skilled
Both can be used to describe volunteers and the
work they do, and the impact on your community
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7. What are you measuring now?
The usual stuff
• Number of volunteers
• Hours given per volunteer and an estimated
dollar value
• Amount of trees, meals, etc.
• Money donated
• Cost per volunteer to run your program
– not always a good measure of how successful your
program is or how engaged your volunteers are
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8. What could you measure?
It starts to get a little tricky…
• The Scarce Resources Model – ROI for
Volunteers - Tony Goodrow, Better Impact
http://www.betterimpact.com/ROI/
• The actual value of the work
– Move beyond an average $ amount
• The impact on the community
– What difference does that tree, sandwich, etc. make?
• The impact on your volunteers
– Increased health, sense of contributing, place in the
community
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9. Why does it matter?
• What questions do you want to answer?
• What kind of information is persuasive?
• Who wants or needs this information?
– You, organization leaders? Funders? The
community? Volunteers?
• What story do you want to tell?
• What do you want others to know about the work
volunteers do in your organization?
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10. Volunteer Impact Worksheet
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11. How can you find this information?
Quantitative Information
• What are you tracking now?
– Where is it, and is it easy to get it out? Reports,
queries, etc.
• Can you answer the questions you need to
answer?
– If not, why are you tracking that information?
• What other questions do you need/want to
answer?
– Where is that information? If you’re not tracking it
now, can you? And can you report on it effectively?
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12. How can you find this information?
Qualitative Information
• Surveys
– Clients, visitors, members. Volunteers – past and
present. Paid staff – program managers, those that
do/don’t work with volunteers
• Interviews
– As a volunteer what kind of change do you see in
your clients after they are comfortable reading?
• Evaluating impact from a different perspective
– Not just numbers. Volunteers planted 250 trees –
Why does that matter? What does that change?
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13. How do you find this information?
• Work with volunteers!
– Track the quantitative information effectively.
Database volunteer, best practices for data entry.
– Reports that work! SQL volunteers, database
administrator, applications engineer
– Ask the right questions. Surveys written and
conducted by volunteers, evaluated by volunteers.
– Ask your volunteers – Qualitative information about
their experience, the differences they observe in
clients, visitors, the community.
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14. Getting past numbers
What kind of information is informing your story
now?
• What matters to your organization?
– How do you deploy your mission in the community?
– What are the values or goals that drive your work?
• How are your clients, or the community, helped by
the work you do?
– What’s the problem you’re trying to solve?
– What’s different or better because of the work you do?
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15. Getting past numbers
• Who are your volunteers?
– What do they do?
– Why does it matter?
• What does it look like or feel like to be a part of
your organization?
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16. Tell your story!
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17. What informs your story?
What do you need to know (besides volunteer hours)
to tell your story?
• Things that you track now
– Clients, outcomes, trends over time, etc.
• Other information from within your organization
– Volunteer interview, client stories, etc.
• Information from outside your organization
– Research, reports, studies, etc
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What’s your story?
• The 5 W’s
– Who, What, When, Where and (W)How and of course
Why!
• Build your story arc
– Set up the story
– What’s the problem or conflict?
– What’s the resolution or solution
– What’s the call to action?

19. Tell Your Story Worksheet
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What moves you?
Your story should reflect the values and culture of
your organization.
• Be authentic
– Stay true to your mission and your work.
• Humor is hard
– You might want to be funny, but you are not actually
that funny.
– Humor is subjective and can be insensitive.
• What matters in your organization?
– What do your volunteers, donors, clients tell you is most
important about the work you do?

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Getting Started
Get the ideas flowing
• What’s your story? Workshop it. Creativity works
best with other brains present.
– Who else should be involved?
– What’s the voice of your organization?
– What do you sound like? What does it feel like?
– Identify the places you’ll need help or support
– Where could that come from? Who do you know?
• Remember there’s a learning curve
– Changing the way you talk about volunteer impact
happens over time

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Getting Started
• Find the overlap between minimal and viable
– You can spend a long time trying to tell the perfect
story, don’t let being perfect keep you from sharing that
impact!
– Don’t over think it!
• Just do it!

23. Let’s watch another video
VolunteerMatch’s Fighting Hunger Together Initiative with
Walmart Foundation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Y-
ibkBpUs&list=PL888C27F940F2C800&index=31
– Created by our high school intern
– Basic art supplies and my Cannon PowerShot (point & shoot) +
$15 tri-pod
– One afternoon to film, one afternoon to edit
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Best practices for videos
Think about what makes a video watchable
• Short!
– About two minutes
– Don’t expect people to “schedule time” to watch your
video
– The internet is full of distractions
• Steady
– Get a tri-pod, use it. Shaky videos are hard to watch
and distracting
• Hold your scenes
– Quick cuts are hard to follow

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Best practices for videos
• Storyboard
– It doesn’t have to be fancy but you need to outline your
scenes
– Online tools note cards, cartoon panels
– The internet is full of distractions
• Sound
– People talking require additional tools/editing
– Consider word panels or music to start
• Camera
– We have powerful camera in our pockets. Point and
shoots have exceptional video

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Finding resources
What do you need help with?
• All of it! I have no idea where to start.
– Find a professional – recruit a skills-based volunteer
– Reach out to journalism or visual arts classes
– Approach corporate partners or other CBOs
• I could just use a little support or advice.
– Crowdsource or engage micro-volunteers for feedback
– Do you have experts in your volunteer corps?
– Online how-tos and discussion groups

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How are you telling your story?
Now that you have your story share it!
• Informally, internally, externally, formally
– Updates and town hall meetings
– Infographics and videos
– Board and funding reports
– Social media channels and community partners
• Incorporate the story into your volunteer
engagement program
– Recruitment channels
– Recognition events
– All of your stakeholders – especially your volunteers!

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Tell your story!
• Use the worksheet to think through your story
– Remember to include others in the brainstorming!
• Engage others with the skills or experiences to
make it happen
– Database administrators, researchers, interviewers
– Graphic designers or videographers
• Determine what story is the best fit for each
communication channel
– Not everyone is inspired or influenced by the same
information

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Tell your story!
• Share your story and solicit feedback
– Evaluate the results for education and outreach
• Social media
– Facebook, YouTube, Twitter
– Spread the word
• Promote on your own channels
– Website, newsletter, email
• Tap those community connections
– Who do you know?
– Who do your board, volunteers, donors, know?

30. Thanks for attending!
Join us online:
Like us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/VolunteerMatch
Follow us on Twitter: @VolunteerMatch
Visit Engaging Volunteers, our nonprofit blog:
blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/
Find the slides and resources:
http://www.slideshare.net/volunteermatch/novaa-storytelling
For any questions contact:
Jennifer Bennett
@JenBennettCVA
jbennett@volunteermatch.org
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31. Resources for videos and infographics
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More Video Examples
DoGooder Video Awards http://www.youtube.com/user/nonprofitvideoawards
Free Resources I’ve Used
Windows Movie Maker http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/get-movie-maker-download
Screencast-o-matic http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/
(Free or Low Cost)
Top lists for Free Editing Downloads
Macs - WonderShare.com http://www.wondershare.com/video-editor/free-video-editing-
software-mac.html
PCs – Tech Radar http://www.techradar.com/us/news/software/applications/best-free-
video-editing-software-9-top-programs-you-should-download-1136264#null
Best Practices and Guide
Into Focus http://see3.com/intofocus
Infographics
5 Online Tools Article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-krum/5-great-online-tools-for-
_b_5964874.html